Needs Assessment

We understand that LEEP was a response to a need for additional ALA accredited programs in Illinois. Did the university/college conduct a need analysis specifically regarding eLearning prior to initiating the proposal for LEEP?


Readiness: Infrastructure

Currently, does the school have adequate: 1) human resources, 2) equipment/facilities 3) technology to support LEEP? Have these resources increased or decreased over the life of the program?

Intellectual Property

1. We understand that based on the UI intellectual property rights policy, GSLIS owns the LEEP elearning courses as "works made for hire." However, through undivided co-ownership the creator(s) can use and reproduce the original course materials and write derivative works from them, although UI retains the right to use, revise and distribute the original version within UI. Is this understanding correct?

2. Have there been circumstances where LEEP faculty members feel that this intellectual property rights policy is unfair?

Course Format
We understand that LEEP has a mandatory requirement for students to be on-campus every semester? Why is the program designed this way? Do you accommodate exceptions?

Instructional Design
Does the department contain an In-House Instructional Designer team to design the e-learning content? If yes, what are their roles? If not, who is responsible for developing the courses?

General -
1. Check progress on GSLIS Strategic Plan 2006:
  • migrate LEEP to open source management system – Has this been done? What system? Can we enter the LEEP system as a guest user to see what its like?
  • Do you continue to blend campus and online courses? Has the "experimenting" led to any school-wide changes?
  • What type of collaboration has taken place with corporate partners invested in online learning?

2. What are some perceived institutional challenges for your program?
3. Have there been specific institutional policies or procedures that your program has been involved in changing or would like to see changed?
4. In an article published in 1996, Dean Leigh Estabrook writes that LEEP had “strong support from the University.
  • ” What form did this support take in the early days of the program?
  • What support does the program currently receive from the University (for example, from institution-wide eLearning structures such as U of I Online and the eLearning Committee)?
5. In the coming weeks we will be looking at the financial, management, marketing and PR, IT, pedagogical and ethical dimensions of LEEP. Is there anyone else we should speak with to help us gain an understanding of these issues?